Sled brake



Feb. 7, 1933. G, C. MATE ET ALl 1,896,966

SLED BRAKE Filed April 12,4 1932 2 sheets-sheet 1 C/ l llVU (20 ff 6 Gf Cf Mai@ c Tada/C6'.

lFeb- 7, 1933. G. c. M-ATE ET AL. 1,896,956v

SLED BRAKE Filed April l2, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zz Y LV1-2z Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUS CQ MATE AND CHARLES TAKCS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS 0F THIRTY-FIVE :PER GENT TO SAID GUS C. MATE AND SIXTY-FIVE PER CENT TO SAID" CHARLES TAxAcs SLED BRAKE- Application led April 12, 1932. Serial No. 604,812.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements insled brakes.

, The primary object of the invention is to providea sled brake of a character that may be associated with sleds Yofstandard construction and aiso embodied in the loriginal manufacture of the sled and including a brake shoe associated with eachl runner adjacent its rear end and operated by afoot or hand lever conveniently mounted upon'- the Vusual cross-'steering handle or' bar at the front end of the sled; i

A further object of the invention 1s to providea` brake forsleds embodying comparatively `few parts, being inexpensive tomanu# factureand easy to operatewithl the brake shoesA adjustably mounted to accommodatev the brake mechanism to sleds of Vdifferent sizes.

" With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and i arrangements of parts hereinafter more fully described, Yshown in the accompanying drawingsand claimed.

' In lthe Vdrawings 1'- t y Figure 1is atop plan view of `a 'sled f. i Vequinped with the improved brake devices showing the foot or hand operated lever for the brake devices mountedupon the cross steering bar or handle: at the'front end of the sled;4

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing the inoperative position of the brake slices vwith respect to the sled runners;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the sled and brake devices;

Figure t is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational View of the rear end ofthe sled showing the mounting forthe brake shoes and crank shaft associated therewith; Y,

Figure "5 is a vert-ical cross-sectional View taken. onl line 5 5 of Figure Ltshowing the transverse crankshaft Vfor the support of the brake shoes; y Y g Figure 6 `is a detail sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 4;' A y Figur/e7 is a side elevational viewrof one ofthe `brake shoes showing the spaced open ings therein providing adjustableV mounting for the brake shoes;

Figure onv line V8--8` of Figure 1;

foot or hand operated devices for the brake mechanism; Vand i.

F'gure 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing another form of mounting for the brake shoe and crankshaft directly associated therewith. 7

Referring more in detail to the accom 8 is a detail sectional view taken Figure 9 shows elevational views of the 55 the` upper curved ends 18 of the runners 15 and to the cross bar 19, the side railsv 20 being maintained in spaced parallel relation by the spaced cross bars 22 secured at their ends as at 23 to the lunderside's ofi the'side, Vrails 20. Slats or boards 24 and 25are secured as at 26 to the cross bars. 22 to form the complete Vbody ofthe sled, the centery board 24 projectingforwardly of the side boards 241- forl attachment tok the lsteering devices and brake mechanism ofthe sled,4

Spring devices are interposed between the sled body and runners l5 rearwardlyof the front end of the runners and Vinclude inverted U-shaped spring strapsy 27 havingchannel legs 28 bifurcated at their lower ends as at 29 to vstraddle the` perpendicular rib 17 of the adjacent runner 1'5fto beretained in en gagement with the rribjby the cross b olt or rivet y30. The-upper ends of Vthe spring straps 27havelat`eral osets 31 as shown in Figure 5 and throughwhich offsets, an adjacent bolt 26 passing through a board 24 andy crossbar 22Apasses, the spring strap being further anchored to the sleigh body by screws 32 passingupwardly therethrough and entering the side rails 20.

A transverse steering bar or handle 33 is pivotally mounted as at 34 upon the cross bar 19 connecting the front ends of the runners 15 and the central portion of the steering bar 33 rearwardly'of the pivot 34 is connected by a pair of spaced links 35 to a forwardly projecting arm a carried by the center board'25 of the sled body.

The brake devices as shown in Figures 1 to 9 include avstand bracket 36 arranged adjacent each rearwardly positioned spring strap 27, the lower end of the standV bracket 36 being bifurcated to straddle the perpene dicular rib 17 of the runner 15 and rto be retained in engagement therewith by the cross bolt or rivet 37, the stand bracket 36 being juxtaposed to the rear leg 28 of the spring strap. As shown in Figure 6,' an offset lug carried vby the stand ,bracket 36 projects into the channel leg 28 and a cross bolt or rivet 39,passing through the channelleg and, lug

` further anchors the stand bracket in position.

. ice,

The upper end of the standA bracket`36 is provided with a bearing *40, the stand bracket 3`61beingtransversely aligned on the opposite'runner 15 with the bearings 40 rotatably receiving the ends 41 of across sha-ft the shaft ends 41. y

'The brake Shoe n Shown in dean in Fig* ure 7 is mounted on the end 41 of theshaft inwardly of the runners 15 and is provided with a series of Ispaced openings 45 to permit adjustableV mounting of the brake shoe, a threaded opening 46 being associated with each bearing opening 45ffor the reception of a binding screw 47 to rigidly mount the brake shoefupon the shaft end 41. The lower operative end ofthe brake shoe 44 is roughened, corrugated or toothed as at 48 to increase snow and ground lgripping action thereof. f Y y l The operatingmechanism for the :brake shoes 44 and crossshaft 42 includes a link rod 49 extending longitudinally of the sled bel neath thebody thereof, the link rod 49 passing through a guideloop 50dependi'ng from one of the Vcross bars 22 with the rear end thereof having a bearingvconnection 51 centrally of the cross shaft 42, the rear end of the link rod 49-including a turn-buckle device 52 for lengthwise:adjustment of the link rod. A bell crank lever is ypivotally mounted as at 52 between the links 35 connecting the steering bar 33 and the center board extension 25a and includes angle legs 54 and 55, they outer end of the leg 55 of the bell crank lever hav- I Y ing a link connection 56 .with the forward end of theslink rod 49.A .The operating means of the leg 54 of the bellicrank lever is vsupported upon one endofthe steering bar 33 and as shownin' detail inFigure'Q and applied in Figure-1, includes aforked'leg 57 `straddling theste'eringfbar 33 and pivotally vmounted thereon as at 53. A; 4handle extension 59-is vvcarried Vby the forked leg 57 and anoperating portions carrying `.ground lineby the coil spring 64 anchored at one end as at 65 to the link rod 49 and at its otherend to the lug 66 carried by the rear cross bar 22. j

From the above detailed description of the and operation thereof will at once be apparent, it being noted `that the steering bar 33 may be operatedV for the steering of the sled and only impart a minor movement to the brakev mechanism without rendering theA latter effective, the brake shoes 44 being applied by pressurer upon the handle` 59 for'moving invention, it is believed that the construction the bell .crank lever for the forward'projec-v tionl of the link rod 49 and cross`shaft42 for rotating the shaft ends'41l in thebearings 40 to lower the brake shoes into ground engage#` ment. f

ure 10, the spring straps. 27a have the side legs 28a ofchannel formation, with an, offset flange 67 forming a bearing for the ends 41' of the cross shaft 42. The sled brakes illuse In the form of invention illustrated in Fig-v trated in Figures 1 to 9 be applied to sleds of standard construction while in the form of invention illustrated in Figure 10, the stand bracket 36 may be eliminated in the initial manufacture of theV sled and the -.1

spring strap 27a designed withthe offset 67 Vfor the support of thev shaft that carries the brakeY shoes. Y

While .there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless tube understood supporting the body above the runners, said brake comprising a cross-shaft having crank endsdirected outwardly to formtrunnionsy-.A`V`

. Y ,.110 1. A brake for sleds, wherein tliersled ind cludes T-runners, a platform body and means stand-brackets rising from the. runners and having bearings at their upper ends for the support of the trunnions, a bracket shoe fixed to eachl trunnion, a tensioned link rod connected to the cross shaft, link and lever de- '11.20

vices connected to the forward end ofthe link -rodfor operating the crossl shaft to'lower the brake shoes to operative positions, the

sled including a transverse forward steering bar, a pair of links connecting the steering g bar to the sled body, and the link and lever f devices includinga bell lcrank p-ivotally supported on said pair of links.

2. Abrake for sleds, wherein the sled includesT-runners,aplatformpbody'and means 41:90

supporting the body above the runners, said brakes comprising a cross-shaft having crank ends directed outwardly to form trunnions, stand-brackets rising from the runners and having bearings at their upper ends for the support of the trunnions, a bracket shoe fixed to each trunnion, a tensioned link rod connected to the cross shaft, link and lever devices connected to the forward end of the link rod for operating the cross shaft to lower the brake shoes to operative positions, the Sled including a transverse forward steering bar, a pair of links connecting the steering bar to the sled body, the link and lever devices including a bell crank pivotally supported on said pair of links, and a manually operated lever pivoted on theV steering bar and having a rod connection with the bell crank. v In testimony whereof we aix our signa-v tures. A

GUS C. MATE. CHARLES TAKCS. 

